Netflix’s most expensive show, 3 Body Problem, which had a budget of $20 million per episode, has been replaced as the #1 show on Netflix’s Top 10 list after just a few days. The new show on top, Testament: The Story of Moses, is a biblical docudrama series with a significantly lower budget, raising concerns about 3 Body Problem’s high cost. While Testament had 11 million viewers in its first four days, its reported $160 million budget pales in comparison to Avatar: The Last Airbender’s 21 million views on a $120 million budget. Furthermore, the show 1899 had 11 million views on a $62 million budget and was eventually cancelled.
The performance of a show is not solely based on budget to viewership ratio, but also on factors like how many people actually finish watching the series, indicating their likelihood of returning for a second season. However, Netflix faces a difficult decision with 3 Body Problem, as adapting only one book out of three in a costly project may not be ideal. Additionally, the show underperformed despite being from Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and DB Weiss, who have a pricey overall deal with Netflix. This relationship may provide some leeway for 3 Body Problem, but with a potential cost of half a billion dollars for all three seasons, a high viewership is crucial.
Meanwhile, the rest of the Top 10 list on Netflix is not particularly noteworthy at the moment. The Gentlemen, which spent two weeks as the #1 show, is now at #5 and has not yet been renewed for a second season. However, it is considered a success story compared to 3 Body Problem, given its high viewership and lower cost. It is anticipated that more people will have finished watching The Gentlemen compared to the more complex 3 Body Problem.
As Netflix faces a tough decision regarding the future of 3 Body Problem, the possibility of committing to a second season raises the issue of completing the trilogy instead of leaving it as a cancelled show. This decision could prove to be one of the worst examples yet for Netflix. The upcoming weeks will be crucial in determining the fate of 3 Body Problem and whether Netflix will continue to invest in the high-budget series or shift focus to more cost-effective and successful projects.
